ATP Synthase + Enzyme Activity and Inhibition

What is ATP Synthase?

An enzyme that synthesizes ATP to be used within the cell as it speeds up (catalyzes) the synthesis of ATP

How do cells regulate enzyme activity?

Enzyme activity changes based on the needs of the cell/organism to maintain homeostasis. Enzymes can turn off/on by altering the shape or access to active sites with inhibitors and activators

Competitive Inhibitors

a molecule that has a similar structure to the substrate and can bind the active site, preventing the substrate from binding

• controlled by concentration of the two molecules

Non-competitive inhibitors

binds somewhere outside of the active site, causing structural change in the active site thus causing the substrate to be unable to bind

• aka, an allosteric inhibitor

• not concentration dependant